Lazy Mornings
by 14hpgirl19
Summary: Mr. Gold loves mornings like this. There's nothing better than being able to relax with the woman he loves more than anything else. He just wishes he had more of them...


**Hi! I know it's been a while since I've posted a story, but I'm trying to get back into the whole writing thing, so this is a little something I came up with to ease this super long hiatus. This kinda disregards "Going Home", since Rumple is clearly still alive here. I hope you enjoy!**

Lazy Sunday mornings were the best. Mr. Gold came to this conclusion only recently, but he decided he rather liked them. For the longest time, he never had these types of mornings, mainly because he was always alone. He never had anyone to share them with. But now that he did, he planned to enjoy every one.

On this particular morning, Gold woke up first. The bright sunlight was streaming in from the silver between the curtains and landed right in Gold's eyes. Grumbling a little, he forced them open and waited a moment for his eyesight to adjust to the relative dimness of the room. Once it did, he turned his focus to his right.

He immediately quieted. Belle, his darling Belle, was still asleep. At some point in the night she had cuddled up close to him, and now had her arm around his waist. Gold realized he was the same way with her. Her reddish-brown hair was mussed with sleep, and her pale face looked serene and undisturbed. Her red lips were parted slightly, her breaths coming out in slow, measured sighs.

In short, she looked beautiful. A small smile touched Gold's lips. He never tired of waking up to this every day. He counted himself lucky to have a woman like Belle. A woman who loved him despite his faults, and always brought out in the best in him.

He would love her until the end of time, and even after that. She was his light, his savior. She made him feel loved and worthy, even when he knew he was anything but. He would try to be the man she needed and deserved. He could do that for his Belle.

Gold didn't know how much longer she slept, but after a while she began to stir. Her eyelids began to flutter, and she made little humming noises. Her head lolled back and forth momentarily before stilling again. Blue eyes peeked up at him.

"How long have you been up?" she asked quietly, her voice scratchy with sleep. Gold smirked.

"Well, good morning to you too, dearie."

Belle giggled (a beautiful sound) and snuggled closer to Gold. She tilted her head up and accepted a kiss from him, smiling against his lips.

"Truthfully though, how long?" She leaned back and gave him an appraising look.

"I do not know," Gold answered. Belle eyed him.

"It's a little creepy, you know."

"Is not," he scoffed.

"Is too."

"How many times have I woken up to see you staring at me?"

Belle bit her lip. Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

"You're so cute when you sleep."

"Well, so are you, Belle." He kissed her forehead. "Do you see my point?"

"Mmm, I suppose," replied Belle. She nestled her head under Gold's chin and sighed with contentment. "I could stay here all day."

"Who says we can't?"

"Your grandson," she reminded him. "Remember, you promised him you'd take him to lunch?"

"Ah, yes, I suppose I did." It was part of Gold's attempt to better his relationship with his son. He was going to prove he could be a stable part of his life by spending time with his grandson. Not that Gold minded really. He had always had a soft spot for little Henry.

"And you're going to honor that promise, right?"

"I never said I wasn't!" Gold insisted. "I just wish I could spend more time with you."

"Who says you can't?" Belle pulled away far enough so she could look him in the eyes. "We still have the morning, and then we have tonight when you get home."

"That's not my point. I just feel like we haven't seen much of each other lately," admitted Gold. He felt a little silly saying it. Relationship issues were a foreign topic for him.

"I do agree about that. The library has taken up more of my time than I had hoped it would." She watched Gold carefully, searching his face for something. After a moment her eyes widened slightly.

"Do you think I haven't been paying you much attention?" She sounded worried, and Gold immediately felt bad for scaring her.

"No, no, of course not. You've done nothing wrong. If anything, I'm afraid I've neglected _you._"

Belle's mouth fell open. She stared at him for a moment before wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him down for a passionate, deep kiss. They were both breathless when they parted.

"Don't," she whispered, "_ever_ think you've neglected me. You're the most wonderful man, and I love every moment we spend together. But I'm also a big girl who can take care of herself when you're not there." She kissed him again, and continued once it ended. "Don't worry about me, Rumple. I don't think you've left me lonely."

"Well, I can see that," he teased. Belle smacked him lightly, causing him to laugh. Once he'd finished, he smiled. "I love you so much."

She beamed at him. "I know."

"Oh, so that's how you want to play, eh?"

"Oh, come on." Belle gave him a serious look. "I love you too. More than anything."

"Except books right?"

"Oh, yeah. Can't forget those."

**Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you thought. And if anyone has read my Rumbelle Hogwarts AUs, please let me know if you want more of those. I'm trying to work out which stories will have more priority, and I want to know if there is still interest with that. Thank you! =)**


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